By: Nick Nickles – July 29, 2009 After heavy showers covered much of the Upstate, the American Legion State Tourney kicked off at historic Duncan Park on Wednesday and Diamond Prospects was there. The opening day was full of offense, we will briefly recap the action and provide prospect info for our viewers:  American Legion State Tournament Game 1 – Conway 14 West Columbia 12 Conway was led by a huge offensive effort from John Gump’s 4-for-5 day with 2 homers and 5 RBI. Tripp Faulk (left) contributed a homerun and 2 RBI in the winning effort for Conway. It was a one-sided game until late in the contest when West Columbia rallied for 6 runs in the 9th before falling short of a miraculous comeback. Todd Joyner collected 6 RBI on 5 hits for West Columbia. WP: Jarrott Hooks LP: Jeremy Brazzell SV: Josh Knab HR: John Gump (2), Tripp Faulk    Game 2 – Irmo 11 Sumter 3 Chad Balderman paced Irmo going 4-for-4 with a homerun and Will Keel came off the bench to go 2-for-2 in a total team effort to rout the Sumter P-15’s. Cameron Baker collected the win and held Sumter in check until the Irmo bats broke open a 2-1 game scoring 5 runs in the 5th inning. Bruce Caldwell and Jeremy Buckner (right) had multi-hit days for the P-15’s in the loss. The P-15’s are the defending champions of last year’s tournament. WP: Cameron Baker LP: Jordan Montgomery HR: Chad Balderman Game 3 – Gaffney 7 Georgetown 4 Gaffney kept the pressure on Georgetown in the quickest game of the day forcing bad decisions and errors throughout the game. Bryan Parsons and Michael Hughey each collected 2 RBI for Gaffney while Jason Biershenk had a great outing on the mound gathering the win. Bubba Wright collected the save in the closest contest of Day 1. Zach Hagaman and Kyle Ward each had multi-hit games for Georgetown in the losing effort. WP: Jason Biershenk LP: Aaron Bishop SV: Bubba Wright Game 4 – Florence 5 Spartanburg 1 The host club Spartanburg held a 1-0 lead early before giving way to a powerful, and more experienced, Florence team. The 4th inning turned sloppy for the home team as an array of errors and mental mistakes clogged the bases during the inning. Spencer Jordan, Tyler Boyd and Gerald Kennedy each contributed RBIs in the winning effort. Jordan was also lights out on the bump tossing a 9-inning complete game striking out 10 and allowing one run on a squeeze bunt in the third inning. Florence is considered to be the strong favorite in the tournament. Micheal Sobeski had 3 hits, a game high for Spartanburg. WP: Spencer Jordan LP: Ryan Traylor Prospect Info: Conway John Gump- Erskine/USC Sumter, Carolina Forest HS ’08, 1B: Gump (right) did a solid job of showcasing himself as the most dangerous hitter in the tournament hitting 2 bombs and hitting another ball off the wall on the way to a 4-hit day. Gump, who is LISTED on the roster at 6-5/215, showed an advanced approach at the plate. He had a routine that he repeated in the box and looked very comfortable during his at-bats. He generated a lot of power at the point of contact, and both homeruns when struck, left no doubt in the mind of the spectator that they were gone. If you saw him today, you couldn’t leave unimpressed. He’s going to hit some homeruns. Tripp Faulk- Senior, Wingate signee, North Myrtle Beach HS ’09, OF: Faulk (left) is a solid player that will head to Wingate in the fall to play college baseball. He showed some pop turning on a fastball in a favorable count putting some back spin on the baseball that allowed it to carry over the left field wall. Faulk is going to be a steady player that won’t make a lot of mistakes and could develop into a quite productive player for Wingate. Prospect Info: West Columbia Todd Joyner- Senior, Florence-Darlington Tech signee, White Knoll HS ’09, OF: Joyner (right) put together a 5 hit day for West Columbia while driving in 6 runs. The left-handed hitting outfielder utilized a hard contact approach while using the whole field. Joyner did a good job of situational hitting and looks to be a good sign for Florence Darlington. Prospect Info: Irmo/Chapin Chad Balderman- Senior, Limestone signee, Dutch Fork HS ’09, OF/RHP: Balderman (left) smoked all 4 baseballs in his 4-for-4 outing. Listed at 5-10/165, he showed some juice can be generated from his small frame. Balderman is a loose body in the box with a good bit of movement before he loads, but he stays back and throws his hands thru the ball nicely from the load. It worked today. He even belted a homerun into the trees. Limestone has to be thrilled with the potential of this sign as Balderman also has been in the upper-80’s on the mound. D.J. Roberts- Junior, Chapin HS, C: Roberts has some potential at the plate. He hit the baseball hard 3-times in this viewing while hitting in middle of the order. Roberts is a "follow" type guy thru the fall for some smaller schools looking for a potential sleeper catcher. Kaden Watson- Freshman, SMC, Irmo HS 08′, SS/2B: Watson (left), a year groomed at SMC, clearly looked the part in many aspects from his high school counterparts. He had a clear approach at the plate and executed his objectives in situational hitting opportunities. Though not a shortstop by trade, he was the most productive shortstop in the tournament yesterday. Watson simply made all his plays and didn’t make any mistakes to hurt the team. He’s also improved his actions and arm strength over the past year. Watson has a chance to be a valuable piece to SMC’s infield in 2010. He ran the bases well, and showed good instincts throughout the game in various situations. He was clearly playing on another level than the prep players.   Prospect Info: Sumter Bruce Caldwell- Sophomore, Sumter …

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Diamond Prospects Developmental Fall League – 2009 Competitive, Developmental, Affordable, Exposure Diamond Prospects is proud to announce our launch of a new weekday fall league in the Upstate and Midlands during September and October of 2009. The league will provide a local and affordable option for up-and-coming baseball players looking to get in some extra work during the school week. As always, DP will provide players with opportunities for exposure. Team rosters and schedules will be posted on the website for easy access for college coaches and scouts looking to follow players during the ‘off-season’. Something to play for…League standings will be kept and updated after each game providing a competitive atmosphere among the schools. Also, at the close of the season, DP will name an All-League Team, complete with fall statistics. High Schools that have confirmed to field a team: UPDATED TEAMS (September 2) Upstate:  -Hillcrest (Varsity & JV) -JL Mann (Varsity & JV) -Riverside -Easley  -Byrnes -Seneca/BHP  -Mauldin -Wade Hampton  -Boiling Springs -Spartanburg Midlands:  -Spring Valley -Brookland-Cayce -Aiken -Airport -Dutch Fork  General Info: -Games will be played on Tuesday and Thursday nights –Opening date will be September 8, the league will end on October 20 -Teams will play a minimum of 12-15 games, exact number depends on the eventual number of clubs in a given league -Teams are allowed to have players from multiple high schools -Rainouts will not be made up -Upstate league commissioner: Nick Nickles – [email protected] -Midlands league commissioner: David List – [email protected] DP will: -Post on TheDiamondProspects.com updated standings of the league -Post on TheDiamondProspects.com team rosters and schedules -Publish stats of the peak performers at the conclusion of the season -Handle all scheduling of games, sites and umpires -Handle payment of jersey tops, sites, umpires and game balls -Be on hand to cover as much as we can and provide prospect info on TheDiamondProspects.com Teams will: -Provide own insurance -Be responsible for ordering jerseys from Uniform Work & Sport at [email protected] -Be responsible for collecting checks and player applications **PLAYER APPLICATION  -Please mail only one team check to Diamond Prospects, PO Box 1262, Conway SC 29528. This check should account for 100% ($250 per player) of your player fees. -Teams will not be included into the master schedule until all checks/applications are received. -Provide DP commissioner with two contact names/numbers for your team -Post final scores on DP Scoreboard -Send copy of scorebook and/or statistics to your commissioner at the conclusion of September and October -Provide own equipment (BP balls, helmets, catching gear, etc) -Chase foul balls on your half of the field Sites will: -Make sure the field is cut, dragged and lined off -Supply game balls that have been delivered to the site -Have option of running concession stand and keeping 100% of the profit -Make ruling as to whether a field is playable or not. If a game must be cancelled, contact the DP commissioner for that league. Rules: -Pitchers will throw no more than 3 innings per week -Each team will have a 15 player roster limit -10 run rule after 5 innings -If game is tied after 7 innings of play, 1 extra inning will be played -2 hour 15 minute time limit, no new inning past that point -Pre-game coin flip between coaches will determine home/visiting team -Lineups can have up to 11 hitters -Free substitution, provided it does not compromise the order of the lineup -Mandatory courtesy runner for catchers with 2 outs -Teams are allowed 10 minute pre-game INF/OF if your game is the only game that night at a site. Games must begin on time. Poor planning and mis-management of time will not be permitted.

Diamond Prospects Showcases Capital City Stadium – November 7-8, 2009 Diamond Prospects announces a two-day "open" showcase on November 7-8, 2009 at Columbia’s Capital City Stadium for 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013 graduates. This showcase is designed for the player who possesses the abilities to play at the collegiate level or beyond. If you think you are that caliber of player, it would strongly benefit you to attend this event! TheDiamondProspects.com provides the #1 coverage of high school baseball in the state of South Carolina. We scout more prep baseball than anyone and write articles about the teams and players we see. We also conduct interviews with the top players across the Palmetto State, past and present. Our goal is to ensure that no player in our state gets overlooked! Diamond Prospects has quickly become highly regarded among college coaches and professional scouts in the Tri-State area, many staff’s and scouts across the Carolina’s have told us that checking the site’s contents have become part of their morning routine! How can DP Showcases assist you? -Unmatched exposure to the top decision-makers in our area, we’ll give you the opportunity to display your talents to the people who matter! Over 75 different schools or professional clubs attended at least one of our events in the past year… -It puts you on the radar for Diamond Prospects to further publicize you and your high school team. Following the showcase, we’ll list the top 60 and Pop times, peak velocity’s and put together a top prospect list, all of this will be posted on the website! -The top traveling teams in the Carolina’s will be on hand looking for players… –Diamond Prospects will host three "invite-only" events in 2010, this showcase will ensure that you get an extended viewing in front of our staff… Understand this, it is never too early, or too late, to showcase yourself to coaches and scouts. Most colleges have a ‘follow list’ of players for each class, even freshmen! Kids are committing to schools earlier and earlier each year, make sure you don’t let this time in your life pass you by. Our last five showcases have been full before the deadline. It will, again, be limited to the first 150 players who sign-up. If you have baseball in your future beyond high school, you don’t want to miss out on this opportunity that could alter your career forever! The tentative schedule and application is on the second page, please return it ASAP to ensure yourself a spot. Please check the website in the week before the event for info and last second announcements, that is our way to communicate with you. In Baseball, Diamond Prospects ——————————————————————————————— Bonus: Following the morning workout, as the coaches and scouts are eating lunch, Diamond Prospects will provide you with the option of sitting in on "Recruiting 101", a crash-course on the recruiting process. We will take approximately 45 minutes to counsel you through the maze that is often very confusing for players and their families. For more information on aspects that we will cover, please go to TheDiamondProspects.com. The cost for the seminar is $25 for the entire family. Payment details are on the second page.